Monte Carlo (musical)
Encyclopedia
Monte Carlo is an Edwardian musical comedy
in two acts with a book by Sidney Carlton, music by Howard Talbot
with English
lyrics
by Harry Greenbank
. The work was first performed at the Avenue Theatre in London
, opening on 27 August 1896. The New York production opened on March 21, 1898 at the Herald Square Theatre.
Act II
Edwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
in two acts with a book by Sidney Carlton, music by Howard Talbot
Howard Talbot
Richard Lansdale Munkittrick, better known as Howard Talbot , was an American-born, English-raised conductor and composer of Irish descent...
with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
by Harry Greenbank
Harry Greenbank
Harry Greenbank was an English author and dramatist best known for contributing lyrics to the successful series musicals produced at Daly's Theatre by George Edwardes in the 1890s.-Life and career:...
. The work was first performed at the Avenue Theatre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, opening on 27 August 1896. The New York production opened on March 21, 1898 at the Herald Square Theatre.
Roles and original London cast
| Role | Premiere Cast, August 1896 |
|---|---|
| Sir Benjamin Currie, Q.C., M.P., The Attorney General | Charles Rock |
| General Frederick Boomerang, V.C. | Eric Lewis Eric Lewis (actor) Frederic Lewis Tuffley , better known by his stage name, Eric Lewis, was an English comedian, actor and singer... |
| Fred Dorian, a Lieutenant in the Southshire Regiment | Richard Green |
| James, a waiter | E. W. Garden |
| Harry Verinder, a briefless barrister | A. Vane Tempest |
| Professor Lorrimer | Robb Harwood |
| Belmont, visitor at Monte Carlo | Guy Fane |
| Standring, visitor at Monte Carlo | C. Wilford |
| Captain Rossiter, captain of the Steam Yacht "Silver Swan" | W. H. Kemble |
| A croupier | Roland Carse |
| Francois, Sir Benjamin's valet | Edward Espinosa |
| Mrs. Carthew | Aïda Jenoure |
| Dorothy, Mrs. Carthew's Daughter | Kate Cutler Kate Cutler Kate Ellen Louisa Cutler was an English singer and actress, known in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as an ingénue in musical comedies, and later as a character actress in comic and dramatic plays... |
| Ethel, General Boomerang's Daughter | Hettis Lund |
| Gertie Gelatine, sister of Bertie | May Belfry |
| Bertie Gelatine, sister of Gertie | Venie Belfry |
| Little Jemima, East End Music Hall performer | Lalor Shiel |
| A midshipman | Kitty Abrahams |
| Susanne, a chambermaid at the Hôtel de Paris | Emmie Owen Emmie Owen Emmie Owen was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company... |
Musical numbers
Act I- Opening Chorus - "Here at Monte Carlo's tables, all our hopes on fortune staking..."
- Recit. and Song - Croupier & Chorus - "Now here's a chance for visitors, both masculine and feminine..."
- Duet - Ethel & Harry - "Within my chambers daily I sit before my table..."
- Trio - Sir Benjamin, General, & Mrs. Carthew - "When a widow makes impression with her beauty rich and regal..."
- Song - Dorothy - "O land of heart's desire where love is king, and fancy all a-fire..."
- Duet - Dorothy & Dorian - "Along the way where lovers go the roses red are twining..."
- Duet - Suzanne & James - "The use of French you ask of me, but spite of your professions..."
- Song - Dorian & Men's Chorus - "They tell me that life is a riddle; but whatever may chance..."
- Song & March - General Boomerang & Chorus - "Have you ever heard the story of my long career of glory..."
- Quartette & Dance - Bertie, Gertie, James & Lorrimer - "I am Gertie Gelatine, and it's easy to be seen..."
- Song - Jemima & Chorus - "I'm the pet of all the 'alls - I'm Jemima! And they whistles and they calls for Jemima..."
- Duet and Dance - Jemima & Sir Benjamin - "A worthy rural Dean a pair of legs could boast of..."
- Hornpipe Trio - Mrs. Carthew, General & Sir Benjamin - "If you'll only come a-cruising..."
- Finale Act I - "Oh, what is the matter? Oh, what has occurr'd? ..."
Act II
- Chorus of Sailors - "We're an able bodied crew, and our duty is to wrestle..."
- Recit and Song - Captain Rossiter - "O gallant tars..." & "Before I sail'd this elegant craft..."
- Trio - Mrs. Carthew, Dorothy, Suzanne & Chorus - "Now of course you know the duties of a lady's maid..."
- Song - Mrs. Carthew - "When you meet some lovely syren who has big bewitching eyes..."
- Song - General - "We have distinguish'd visitors in England now and then..." ***
- Quartette - Mrs. Carthew, Dorothy, General & Sir Benjamin - "Whatever's the use of a maid..."
- Song - Lorrimer - "Oh, the autumn leaves are falling and the days are closing in..." (6 verses)
- Eccentric Dance (Francois)
- Concerted Piece - "Across the waters blue we're very proud to see..."
- Recit. & Song - Dorian - "Back from the field..." & "Oh, the Scarlet Coat so bright is an Englishman's delight..."
- Skirt Dance and Can-Can
- Song - Bertie, with Gertie, Sir Benjamin & Lorrimer - "I'm a stupid little maiden who's afraid to venture out..."
- Colour Duet & Dance - Suzanne & James - "In the mediaeval ages with their troubadours and pages..."
- Duet - Jemima & Lorrimore - "Two Spanish senora are we, exceedingly giddy and gushing..."
- Song - Dorian - "No eloquence is mine my cause to plead whose music it were dear delight to heed..."
- Song - "Fiddle di diddle di diddle di dee" (singer unspecified) - "A very prim and prudent maid..." ***
- Finale Act II - "When man to maid proposes - O Day of dear delight!..."